Belt conveyer



April 26 1927 G. R. KYLE ET Al.

BELT CONVEYER Filed April 2l. 1925 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 vill! tl? M V T April 26 1927 G. R. KYLE ET Al.

BELT CONVEYER Filed April 21, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet Patented Apr. 26,1927. UNITED STATES PTENT- OFFICE.

GORDON E. KYLE, 0F BELLEVILLE, NEW JERSEY, AND'BENJLIIN A. IITOHELL, 0I WEST NEW BEIGHTDN, NEW YORK.

nur comm appunti neaaprii a1, im. anni no. 114,151.

This application is a continuation in part ing pad are substantially eliminated. The of our prior copending application, Serial power transmission means may beentlrel No. 608,157, filed December 21, 1922. surrounded by .the endless wearing pa 'lhis invention relates to improvements in which may be frictionally engagd with belt conveyers and its purpose is to provide both the upper and lower rims o t e power improved means for conveying crushed ore, transmission means when this power transsand and other loose materials in either a mission means is in the form of an endless hot or cold condition. Devices of this kind, belt. Still another feature of the invention as heretofore constructed, have been made is ihe provision of a wearin pad or sheet in one piece and it has been found in pracvhaving equal or greater widt than the untice that the outer layer of rubber comderlying power transmission means or belt pounds or other material forming the coverso that the loose materials being conveyed ing layer of the belt with which the materialare prevented from lodging between the conveyed contacts often becomes partially wearing sheet and the power transmission detached from the fabric structure or under'- means. Where the wearing pad or sheet is lying body portion of the hel?, and that the`- of greater widthl than the conveyin means Y wear is very unequal across the width of or belt, the wearing pad or sheet a one can the belt:` with the result that the entire contbe troughed at a greater angle than the veying belt has to be discarded and replaced power transmisslon means, thus retaining by a new one. The principal object of the the materials on the wearing pad without present invention is to provide a belt conthe necessity of imparting any transverse veyer comprising a separate wearing pad or curvature to the underlying transmission member. having great flexibility and abrameans. Other objects and advantages ofthe sion resisting qualities, as well as great heat .invention relate to various featuresof conresisting qualities for withstanding hot mastructlon and arrangement which will apterial such as cement clinkers and coke pear more fully hereinafter. which has just been quenched. The im- The nature of the invention will be underproved belt conveyer comprises, also, se astood from the following specification taken rate power transmitting means, prefcra ly with the accompanying drawings in which in the forni of .a transmission belt having certain embodiments are illustrated.

great tensile strength, which may be con- In the drawings Fig. 1 shows a. longitustructed at a cost of about seventy-five per dinal section through the center line of a cent of the total cost of the conveyer belts belt conveyer embodying the features 'of the heretofore used. The separate `wearing pad present invention; Fig. 2 shows a side eleor sheet with which the conveyed materials vation of a belt conve e1' which is similar directly contact may be renewed without reto that illustrated in ig. l except that a placing the transmission means so that after pluralit of means are provided for posicontinued use of the belt conveyer of the tively Lriving the endless power transmis? present invention, the separate wearing pad' sion means; Fig 3 shows a side elevation of or sheet muy be replaced at a relatively a modified formof the improved belt consmall cost as compared with the cost of reveyer in' which an idler pulley is employed placement of the entire conveyer belt of the at one end only of the endless wearing -pad type in use prior to the present invention. or sheet; Fig. 4 shows a longitudinal see- A further object of the present invention is tion through the center line of a further to provide a belt conveyer comprising a sepmodified t'orm of construction in which the :irate wearing pademployed in combination endless wearing pad or sheet is driven by with two or more power transmission means, frictional contact with a lurality of endless whereby there is rendered possible a reducpower transmitting members; Fig. shows tion in the size and co:;t of the power trans' a transverse section through a belt conveyerv ii'iission means. A further important obillustrating amethod of trou hing the wear 'ject of the invention is to `provide a belt sheet, which 4may be employe in connection conveyer comprising a separate wearing pad with any one of the belt conveyers illustrated which is driven by frictional contact only in Figs.v 1, 2 and 3, the section bein taken with the power driven power transmission on the line 5--5 of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 s ows a izzcaiis, so thattensile stresses in the wearside elevation of a portion of a belt conl Fig.

' pulley i veyer embodying the structure illustrated in Fig. 7 shows a transverse section through a belt conveyer embodying the features of thel present invention, illustrating a modified-method of troughing in which the endless power transmission belt and also the endless Wear pad or sheet are troughed by a series of idler pulleys; Fig. 8 shows a transverse section through a belt conveyer of the resent invention illustrating a third metho of troughing in which a series of idler pulleys `of equal widthare employed for 'imparting a uniform curvature to the upper runs of a wearing pad and a transmission belt of equal width; Fig. 9 shows a transverse sectlon through a belt conveyer of the present invention illustrating an endless wearing pad and an endless transmission belt arranged to lie flat on the supporting idlers; Fig. 10 shows a top plan View of the end portion of one of the belt conveyers of the present invention, such as that lllustrated in Fig. 1, illustrating the means for driving the endless transmission means and the arrangement of means for trou hing the upper runs of the belts; Fig. 11 s ows a longitudinal section taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10; Fig. .12 shows a top plan view of one side portion of one of the belt conveyers of the present mvention at the take-up end thereof, such as that illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the means for supporting the endless transmission means and adjusting the tension therein tog-ether with the arrangement for supporting the Wearing pad; and Fig. 13 shows a side elevation of the structure shown in F1o. 12. n some of the foregoing views of the rawings the supports for the pulleys and rolls have been omitted for the sake of clearness and a somewhat diagrammatic illustration made without illustratin all of those details which may be `supp ied by one skilled in the art.

Referring to the invention as illustrated in the drawings, and more particularly to the embodiment thereof illustrated in Fig. 1, the improved belt conveyer is shown as comprising an endless ower transmission means 15 which may pre erably be in the form of a belt comprislng a number of layers of cord or fabric imbedded in rubber compound according to any of the usual methods employed in belt manufacture, or it may be any other suitable power transmission means having excessive width as compared with its thickness in order to give flexibility and great tensile strength. The endless transmission member 15 is supported by a pulley 16 and a pulley 17, both of which are slightly crowned, the pulley 16 being positively driven from a motor 18 by means of a belt 19 passin around' another pulley 20 xed on the sha t 21 of the pulley 16. The is mounted on a shaft 2,2 which ,tional contact with the belt 15.

is preferably mounted in bearing blocks 253 `slidably mounted in guide members 24 and capable of adjustment by means of screws 25 for the purpose of regulating the tension in the power transmission means 15. The power transmission belt 15 is arranged to cooperate with an endless wearing belt or sheet 28 which extends completely around the belt 15 and which may be of the saine width as the belt 15 but which preferably projectslat/erally beyond both edges of the belt 15. The endless wear sheet 28 may be formed of rubber compound or other suitable material or combination of materials, the rubber compound havin greater cross sectional area than that of the cord or fabric or other material imbedded therein. The endless wearing pad or sheet 28 is endless transmission means 15 which contacts with the upper run of the endless wearing pad substantially throughout the length thereof so that substantially all portions of the load conveying portions of the endless wearing pad 28 are in frictional contact with the underlying supporting and power transmitting portion of the endless power transmitting belt 15. The upper runs of the endless transmission belt 15 and the endless Wearing pad 28 are supported by idler pulleys 30 mounted in suitable bearings with their axes extending transversely to the direction of travel of the upper runs of the belts which isrindicated by the arrows Il. The endless wearing pad 28, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is supported and guided at each end of the upper run by idler pulleys 3i). which are located in close proximity to the pulleys 16 and 17. The lower runs of the bowel' transmission belt 15 and the endless wearing pad 28 are supported by idler pulleys 32% and snubber pulleys 3&1, so that the wearing pad is driven at these points also by fric- The endless wearing pad 28 is preferably of sntlicient length to provide some slack therein between the pulleys 33 and 34 and between the pulleys 34 and the adjacent pulleys 16 and 1T. The idler pulleys 32 which are engaged by the endless wearing pad 28 at the ends of its upper run are preferably heavily crowned, as shown in Figs. 10 and 12, so that they maintain a. positive alignment of the wearing'pad on the upper run of the power transmission belt 15 independently of the action of the belt 15.

l driven entirely by friction contact with the The loose materials to be conveyed are carried on the wearing pad 28 between the illustrated. To prevent the loose materials from passing over the lateral edges of the wearing pad 28 the troughing idler pulleys are preferably arranged to give the upper run of the belt conveyer a concave lateral curvature. 'This may preferably be done by means of idler pulleys 30 arranged as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 or it may be done by employing either one of the arrangements shown in Figs. 7 and 8. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the transmission belt 15 rests on the horizontal idler piille 30 having its axis horizontal and the latera edges of the wearing pad 28 are inclined u wardly by means of the idler pulleys 30". lie pulleys 33 and 34 which engage'the lower runs of the 'belts 15 and 28 extend-horizontally, as shown in Fig. 5. By causing the transmission means` 15 to retain a substantially flat position, particulai'ly in the upper run thereof, the life t of the transmission belt is greatly increased and the eflicicncy of the conveying apparatus is thereby improved. The projectionv of thc wearing pad 28 beyond t e lateral edges of the power transmission member 15 not only permits a greater trougliing by the inclination of the edges of the 'wearing pad alone but it prevents the entiance of loose materials between the wear sheet and the power transmission means. A further advantage of this arrangemei'it is that the -troughinv is confined tothe relatively flexible wearin pad or sheet 28 and no lateral flexing of t ie power transmission means '15 is effected, thus prevent-ing possible breaking of the plies of the cord or fabric of' the transmission belt.

A modified form of arrangement of the troughing rollers for iinpaiting a transverse curvature to the belt conveyer in the upper run thereof is shown in Fig. 7. Inv this construction the upper run of' the transmission belt 15 is engaged on its underside by three trougliing rollers 30c which impart a curvature to the transmission belt as well as to the underlying wearing pad or sheet. The. wearing pad or sheet is troughed by additional rollers 30d which have a greater iin-liiiatioii than the rollers 30c so that the edges of the wearing pad are iiiclinde upwardly to a considerable degree. both the Wearing pad andthe transmission belt are mounted to travel on rollers arranged with their axes extending horizontally.

In Fig. 8 there is illustrated another method of troughing the upper runs of the belt and the wearing pad or sheet. In this construction the wearing pad 28 is of the same width as the underlying transmission belt 15. and they are troughed with uniform curvature by a sei'ies of rollers 30c of equal width.. In this construction, also, the lower runs. are mounted on rollers arranged on lioiizontal axes.

The lower runs of,

Amounted on extensions of the transmission belt 15d is arranged for sup.

port on the upper run thereof by a plurality of rollers 30'. In this construction, the upperruns of the wearing pad and the underu transmission belt are ing eing effected.

arrangement of driving mechanism which may be employed in connection with the conveyer illustrated in Fic. 1, as well as with the conveyers illustrated in other figures of the drawings, is shown in Figs. V10 and 11. The motor 18 is here shown connected by the belt 19 with a pulley 20 mounted on t e shaft 21 of the pulley 16 which is engaged by the power transmission belt 15 at one endl of the conveyer. The shaft 21 is Journaled in bearings 35 secured on suitable foundation members 36 and the bearings 35 are rovided with longitudinally extending brac ets 37 which carry bearings 38 for the shaft 39 of the adjacent idler pulley 32 over which the wearing ad 28 travels. The pulleys 32 are refera ly heavily crowned and are preferab y of less diameter than the pulleys .16 and 17 over which the power transmission belt 15 travels. The trougliing pulleys. 30, which are illustrated in Fig. 10 as having the form shown more articularly 11i Figs.,.5 and 6, may be suitablly mounted with their bearings supported by a steel or wooden framework 40 adapted also to support the various other troughing and snubing pulleys of the system. Although the wearing pad or sheet 28 is illustrated as having considerable' slack in the lower run thereof, this slack may be regulated by chan ing the positions of the bearings 38 on t e rackets 37. The arrangement of the tensioning mechanism which may be employed in connection with the conveyer illustrated iii Fig. 1, as well as with the conveyrs illustrated in other figures of the drawingi, is shown in Figs. 12 and 13 where flic P a flat, no troughlio 17 mounted on the shaft 22, as shownl in Fig. 1has its ends slidably mounted in the previously described blocks 23 for the purpose of adJustment by means of the screws 25 in regulating the tension of the belt 15. The guide members 24 in 'which the blocks 23 are mounted are fixed on foiindation members and the bearings 108 for the shaft 109 of the idler pulley 32 are uide members 24 so that'the relatively snia l and heavily crowned idler pulley 32 is supported out-- wardly from the larger pulley 17.

A modified construction of the belt conveyer is illustrated in Fig. 2 where the endlvless power transmission means 45- is shown isc inthe form of an endless belt constructed as described in connection with the power transmission beltof Fig. 1 and it is positively driven from a motor 48 by means of a belt 49 extending around a pulley 50 mounted on the shaft 51 of the pulle 46. vlhe pulley 47 has its shaft journaled in bearing b ocks 52 which are adjustable in guideways 53 by means of adjusting screws 54 so that tension in the belt may be regulated as desired. rllhe upper run of the power transmission belt 45 is supported between the pulleys 46 and 47 by a plurality of idler or troughingvpulleys 30 which may be similar to any of theforms previously described and at a point, preferably substantially midway between the pulleys 46 and 47, the upper run of the belt 45'is extended downwardly around idler pulleys 56 and the loop in thev transmission belt formed between the idler pulleys 56 is passed around a second driving 'pulley 57 mounted on a shaft 58 and driven-'- from a motor 59 by means of a belt 60 extending around a pulley 6l fixed on the shaft 58. An endless wear pad or sheet 63, constructed preferably like the wearing pad 28 previously described, is mounted to extend completely around the upper and lower runs of the power transmission belt 45 with the ends of the upper run thereof supported by idler pulleys 64 arranged adjacent to the pulleys 46 and 47. The lower runs of the power transmission belt 45 and endless wearing pad or sheet 63 are supported by idler pulleys 65 and their direction ot travel is controlled also by idler pulleys 66 arranged adjacent to the driving pulley 61. By means of this construction the power transmission belt 45 is positively'driven at a plurality of points. The wearing pad or sheet 63 is preferably of equal or greater width than the power transmission belt and is driven entirely by frictional contact with the upper run of the belt 45. The idler pulleys 56 are arranged adjacent -to each other and the idlers 64 are arranged adjacent to the pulleys 46 and`\47 so that the upper run of the wearing pad 63 contacts substantially throughout its length with the upper run of the power transmission belt 45. The upper runs of either the wearing pad 63 or the transmission belt 45, or both, may be troughed by any one of the methods illustrated in Figs. 5, 7 and 8. The driving connections may be such as are illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11.

In Fig. 3 of thc drawings, there is illu".- trated another modified form of construction in which the wearing pad is guided by au idler at one end only ot' its upper run. In

. this construction. an endless transmission belt 70 is mounted to travel in the direction indicated b the arrow 71, being supported at its ends y pulleys 72 and 73 mounted on shafts 74 and 75 respectively. The power screws 81 in order to vary the tension of transmission belt, which is preferably constructed as described in connection with the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1'. An endless wearingad or sheet 83' extends completely around t e transmission belt 7 0 and is guided at one end of the conveyer by a crowned idler pulley 484. The u per runs of the wearing pad and the transm1ssion belt are supported' by idler pulleys 30 and the lower runs are supported by idler pulleys 85 and snubber pulleys 86. The driving means may be arranged as shown in Figs. 10 and 11 and, if desired, the troughing pulleys 30 may be arranged as shown in any one ot' Figs. 5, 7 and 8.

Still another modification of the invention isillustrated in F ig. 4 where the endless wearing pad or sheet is shown as' being driven by `friction'al contact with a plurality ot' endlessl transmission means. In this construction there are two endless transmission belts 90, constructed preferably as described.

cated bythe arrow 97. The pulleys 92 aremounted on shafts 104 which are preferably journaled in bearing blocks 105 arranged for adjustment in guideways 106 by `means of screws 107, so that the tension in the transmission belts 9() may be regulated. An endless wearing pad or sheet 99 extends completely around the two transmission belts 90 and is constructed preferably as is described in connection with the endless wearing pad or sheet illustrated in Fig. 1. T he endless wearing pad or sheet. 99 is supported and guided at the ends of the upper run thereof by means of idler pulleys 100 which are preferably heavily crowned in order to retain the wearing pad in proper alignment on the transmission means 99. The u per runs of the tran-mission belts 90 and o the wearing pad 99 are supported by idler pulleys 30 which may be troughed, as illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 or 7, in order to ilnpart a transverse concavity to the upper runs of any one or all ot' the members 90 and 99. The lower runs of the members 99 and 99 are supported by idler pulleys 102 and 103. The driving pulley 91 of one power transmission system is preferably arranged in close roximity to the pulley 92 of the next .adjacent power transmission system, and the idler pulleys 13e 100 are arranged adjacent to the pulleys 91 and 92 of the endless belts 90 so that the upper `run of the endless wearing pad or sheet 99 contacts substantially throughout the length of the load conveying portions thereof with the upper runs of the transmissnni belts 90. The arrangement illustrated 1n Fig. 4 permits the use of a wearing pad of unusually small tensile strength and great flexibility. The use ot' a plurality of power transmission systems contacting with and driving the wearing pad, preferably on both the upper and lower runs thereof, permitsthe use of power transmission b elts 90 of less tensile strength and correspondinglyreduced cost as compared with the transmission belts required wliere only one such belt is employed" to drive the upper run of the endless wearin pad. y

ly means of this invention, the life of belt conveyer-s is greatly increased and their operation i'endered more satisfactory and effcient. The endless wea-ring \pad or sheet merely supports the load of loose materials conveyed onv the upper rim thereof and is driven by frictional contactonly of this load conveying portion with the underlying power transmission belt o r belts, supplemented preferably by frictional contact of 'the lower run of the wearing pad with the power transmission means, thus enabling-the use o'f an endless wearing pad having'gre'at wear resistin `qualit-ies without necessarily having also 'the great tensile strength which is required for conveyer belts ofl the type heretofore used. The Jower transmission belts may be constructe at a cost which is greatly reduced asicompared with the cost of the conveyer belts Aheretofore used and the endless wearing pad may be replaced when worn at a cost which is very slight as compared with the cost of renewal'of previously known forms of conveyer belts.,

Although several embodiments of the 1nvention have been shown and described, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

W'e claim:

1. A belt conveyer com rising an endless transmission belt, an end ess wearing pad, and means including said transmission belt for preventing tensional stress in the load conveying upper stretch of saidwearing' ad and for sup orting and driving said end ess wearing pa by :Erictional contact of a run of said wearing pad with a run of said transmission belt, the upper stretch of said wearing pad being of suiiicient width to contact with substantially the entire width ot frictional contact with said transmission belt independently of the action of said transmission'belt drivin means, the load-conveying portion of sai( wearing pad contacting uninterruptci'lly with the entire' width of said transmission belt substantially throughout the length of said load-conveying por tion. t

3. A belt conveyer comprising an endless wearing pad, an endless transmission belt supporting and driving said wearing pad, and means for trougliing said wearing pad only.

4, A belt conveyer comprising endless Itransinission means, an endless wearing ad resting on and conveyed entirely by rictional contact with said transmission means and forming a lprotective covering for the upper load supporting stretch of said trans- '.mission means, and idler pulleys contacting with saidwearing pad to support the lower rims of both said wearing pad and said transmission in eans'and thereby driving the lower run of said wearing pad, said wearing pad having slack in the lower run thereof adjacent said idler pulleys.

5. A transmission belt conveyer coinprisin an endless belt, means for supporting and driving said transn'iission belt, an endless wearing pad extending around said belt and having substantially its entire upper run con-A tacting with the upper run of said transmission belt, and idler pulleys engaging said wearing pad only beyond the ends of the upper ,run of said transmission belt.

6. A belt conveyer comprising an endless wearing pad, means for supporting and vdriving said wearing pad free of tensional stress in the upper load-conveying stretch thereof, said means including an endless transmission means contacting throughout its width with and extending substantially throughout the length of the said load conveying portion of said wearing pad, and an idler pulley engaging said wearing pad at the discharge end of the load conveying portion thereof for maintainin it in proper alignment on said transmission means.

7. A conveyer system comprising an endless wearing pad, power transmission means comprising supporting and driving means enclosed within and supporting and drivin said wearing pad b contact therewit throughout substantia ly the entire length of lthe load-conveying portion of said wearing pad, said wearing pad being of o'reater width than said supporting and driving means. and means for troughing the projecting edges only of said wearing pad.

8. In combination, an endless transmission belt. means for supporting and driving said transmission belt, an endless wear sheet adapted to travel on the upper portion of said transmission belt, said wear sheet projecting beyond the lateral edges of said endless transmission means, an endless wearing pad, and means including said transmission means `for supporting and driving said endless wearing pad and preventing tensional stress in the upper load conve ing stretch thereof which rests on and is in riving contact with the upper run of said endless transmission means.

l0. A belt conveyer comprising an endless transmission belt, an endless wearing pad having the upper run thereof contacting Wit-h the upper run of said belt, and means including said transmission belt for supporting said wearing pad and for driving said wearing pad by frictional Contact thereof with said transmission belt and pre-` venting tensional stress in the Wearing pad due to the load being conveyed, said Wearing pad having the conveyed load supported entirely thereon.

11. A conveyer system comprising an 'endless wearing pad, power transmission means enclosed by and supporting and driving said wearing pad, said wearing pad being of greater Width than said power transmission means, and means for troughing the project-ing edges of said Wearing pad.

12. A conveyer system comprismg an end-l less wearing )ad ower transmlssion means comprising a plurality of driving members enclosed within and supporting and driving said Wearing pad, said Wearing pad being of greater width than said driving members,` and ymeans :for troughing the projecting edges of said wearing pad.

18. A conveyer system comprising endless 40 power transmission means, means including pulleys for supporting and driving said endless power transmission means, an endless Wearing pad extendinnr around said power transmission means an contacting throughout the upper run thereof with said power transmission means throughout its Width, said wearing pad being ydriven solely by frictional Contact with said power trans mission means, idler pulleys engaging and supporting said wearing pad at the ends of the upper run thereof, and means for drivlng said power transmission means.

14. A belt conveyor comprising an endless transmission belt having great tensile strength, means for supporting and driving said transmission belt, and an endless, highly Horrible wearing pad having great abrasion resisting qualities and extending around said transmission belt and providing an endless protective covering forthe 'entire upper load supporting stretch of said transmission belt.

15. The combination in a belt conveyer, of endless transmission means, means for supporting and driving said transmission means, an. endless Wearing pad mounted -With its upper load conveying stretch traveling free of tensional stress` therein on the upper run of said transmission means, said Wearing pad being of sufficient width to protectl said endless transmission means from contact with the material being conveyed on said' wearing pad, and idler pulleys engaging saidA wearlng pad only at the ends of the 75 upper load conveying stretch thereof.

GORDON R. KYLE. BENJAMIN A. MITCHELL. 

